Nikos Kazantzakis Quotes

Greek writer, poet and philosopher (1883-1957)

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Nikos Kazantzakis (18 February 1883 – 26 October 1957) was a Greek novelist, poet, playwright and philosopher.

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Native Name: Νίκος Καζαντζάκης

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"Tomorrow, go forth and stand before the Lord. A great and strong wind will blow over you and rend the mountains and break in pieces the rocks, but the Lord will not be in the wind. And after the wind and earthquake, but the Lord will not be in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord will not be in the fire. And after the fire a gentle, cooling breeze. That is where the Lord will be."
This is how the spirit comes. After the gale, the earthquake, and fire: a gentle, cooling breeze. This is how it will come in our own day as well. We are passing through the period of earthquake, the fire is approaching, and eventually (when? after how many generations?) the gentle, cool breeze will blow.

the highest point a man can attain is not Knowledge, or Virtue, or Goodness, or Victory, but something even greater, more heroic and more despairing: Sacred Awe!

A man needs a little madness, or else... he never dares cut the rope and be free.

الحرية هي أن تهوى شيئاً ما، وأن تجمع قطع الذهب، وفجأة تتغلب على هواك وتلقي بكنزك في الهواء، أن تتحرر من هوى لتخضع لهوى آخر أكثر نبلاً منه.

إن زوربا يرى يومياً كل الأشياء للمرة الأولى

We, who are dying, are doing better, than they, who will live. For Crete doesn't need householders, she needs madmen like us. These madmen make Crete immortal.

"تصور الحيرة التي لابد أن الرب المسكين يمر بها بدوره! لا شك أنه تورط في خلق العالم! ان السمك يصرخ: "لا تعمني يا رب! لا تجعلني أدخل الشباك!"، ويصرخ الصياد: "اعم السمك يارب! اجعله يلج الشباك!"، فالي أي منهما يجب أن ينصت؟ أحياناً يلبي طلب السمك! وطوراً يلبي رغبة الصياد! بهذه الطريقة يُسَيّر العالم!"

As long as our souls remain strong, that is all that matters; as long as they don't decline. Because with the fall of certain souls in this world, the world itself will collapse. These are the pillars which support it. They are few, but enough.

Pain is not the only essence of our God, nor is hope in a future life or a life on this earth, neither joy nor victory. Every religion that holds up to worship one of these primordial aspects of God narrows our hearts and our minds. The essence of our God is STRUGGLE. Pain, joy, and hope unfold and labor within this struggle, world without end.

You have your brush, you have your colors, you paint the paradise, then in you go.

عنما تتملكنا الكآبة فعلينا أنا نمنح أنفسنا وقتاً طيباً

My principle anguish and the source of all my joys and sorrows from my youth onward has been the incessant, merciless battle between the spirit and the flesh.

كم هي مؤلمة ساعة الفراق البطيئة، خاصة فراق الأصدقاء العظام. فالأفضل الانقطاع دفعة واحدة، والعودة إلى الوحدة

With clarity and quiet, I look upon the world and say: All that I see, hear, taste, smell, and touch are the creations of my mind. The sun comes up and the sun goes down in my skull. Out of one of my temples the sun rises, and into the other the sun sets. The stars shine in my brain; ideas, men, animals browse in my temporal head; songs and weeping fill the twisted shells of my ears and storm the air for a moment.

For I realize today that it is a mortal sin to violate the great laws of nature. We should not hurry, we should not be impatient, but we should confidently obey the eternal rhythm.